Kill the Alternative!
by FUHRER YISEEKS
Summary: Winda and Kagami, two newcomers to the Capitol, are pulled into the world of war and deception. When the battle lines are drawn, who can really decide what is right? No yaoi
In a small village on the countryside, a young man was sleeping soundly in his bed, completely oblivious to the bustling sounds of life outside his window. He would've remained in such a state, had a small rock not have been tossed into his room, hitting him squarely on the head.

Although that was more than enough to wake him up, it did little to shake him out of his stupor. Barely managing a "huh", he rolled over on his right side, preparing to return to sleep. A few minutes passed, until a second rock was tossed.

That one he caught.

Throwing himself out of his bed, he noticed the luminosity of his room, and looking up, he looked at the sun. Directly at it, to say the least.

"Son of a bitch!" he cried out, rubbing his eyes. He glanced down outside of his window, looking at chuckling face of a man on the streets below. The spiky white hair held back with a black headband, the joyful red eyes, and the casual clothes pointed to the bastard that threw rocks in his room to be his friend, Kagami.

"Gyahaha! Damn Winda, if you're done crying let's get going!" his friend-that is to say, jackass- chuckled even louder, and now Winda could notice the large traveling pack on his friend's shoulder.

"Hey asshole! If I'm not mistaken, there was glass in this window before you threw those rocks in! What the hell am I going to tell the new owners of this house?" Winda exclaimed, pointing at the broken window. This house wasn't even really his to begin with- it had been a gift from the village elder- and he sure as hell didn't want to break it just as he was finally about to leave.

The white haired boy waved off his concerns. "Now now, Winda-chan! IF you hurry your ass down here, we'll be at the Capitol long before anyone even notices the house even has windows! Then, we don't have to say anything because we won't be here! Aren't I brilliant?" He closed his eyes and smirked, crossing his arms. "No need to say it though, I know that you know I'm superior in every way."

"Kagami", Winda addressed, staring at his friend blankly. "You're an idiot. Tell me, aren't you supposed to be at the village elder's house anyways?"

"You're one to talk! You're always the one bitching about how I always get up late, and that you have to drag my ass out of bed everyday! But at least I'm up on the only day that matters, which happens to be the most important day of yours as well! Now tell me, which one of us screwed up now?! Eh? Eh?!" He pointed out, proud at finally getting one over on Winda.

"You. Because you were supposed to be there. Instead of bantering on how I woke up late, you should've already went to the old man's house and ditched me. if our positions were reversed like it usually is, I would've ditched you today, instead of opting to wake you up." Winda stated in a matter of fact tone. Kagami dropped his arm in disbelief, but quickly regained his temper.

"Hey, hey, hey! Unlike you, I don't opt to be a complete asshole, and I actually care for the friends I have!"

"And once again, I question how I became friends with an idiot such as yourself."

"I don't know, something about hard drugs?"

Twenty minutes later, after some annoying banter with the chatterbox known as Kagami, Winda managed to gather his belongings and set them in a brown rucksack. Putting on a comfy traveling cloak, he looked over his empty bedroom which had served him faithfully for the past ten years. He sighed, running a hand through his short brown hair, as the full impact of what he was about to do hit him. "Looks like this is goodbye, then..." He muttered, losing himself in brief nostalgia.

He had never known his parents, being just one of many orphans abandoned in the trading village. It was an act of pure luck that a kindly woman took him in before he had been found by the village guards, who would have placed him in the village orphanage...or failing that, the river to drown in.

The woman, who had been Kagami's mother, raised the two of them as though they were brothers. She was kind, gentle, and quite pretty, in a plain sort of way. Winda felt slightly guilty that she had never married (or remarried, if her relationship with Kagami's unknown father was stronger than he thought). He could only conclude that looking after two boys, with one of them being Kagami, had taken up all of her time.

Another rock sailed through the window, and he could hear the faint sound of Kagami whining. Winda shook his head in exasperation, shaking free of the memories. He had made a promise years ago to visit the Capitol; but was he already too late? Was _she_ still there, waiting for him? He knew he needed to leave, to try to find her, yet now that time was upon him, he was starting to procrastinate to the point _Kagami_ needed to get him to start moving. It was quite the blow to his pride, but as he considered the possible outcomes of his promise, yet another rock flew through the window.

"Get a move on, fucker!" He heard Kagami shout. Winda nodded, and left the room.

* * *

The two friends walked through their village, waving to those who greeted them and nodding politely to the strangers passing through on their way across the country. As they neared the edge of the village to meet with the Elder- and with him, the beginning of their trip to the Capitol- Kagami laid a hand on Winda's sleeve.

The brown haired boy rose an eyebrow. "What is it?" He asked. Kagami was typically a headstrong kind of guy, rarely trying to beat around the bush.

Kagami looked slightly nervous, but exhaled, regaining his composure. "Look. We've been friends for a while now, right? I need to ask you something, before we meet the Elder." He looked oddly serious.

Slightly surprised at Kagami's words, Winda nodded. "Of course. Ask away."

"Well...you weren't jerking it in there, would you? Cause it's totally fine if you jerk off- I do it all the time, actually- but you were in there for a pretty long time, just you and your thoughts, y'know? And I really don't want you to somehow ruin your hands with your chronic masturbation, or for me to get killed by bandits just because you decided to wank off in the bushes." He warned, looking more serious than Winda had ever seen him.

Wind blew around the two friends, tossing their hair, but Winda and Kagami were still looking at the other, the gravity of the situation weighing down on both of them.

Winda kicked Kagami right in the dick, and continued walking. "Ass..." He said, ignoring Kagami's cries of 'betrayal!'. The one damn time he expected Kagami to be serious, and then he accuses him of wanking off to avoid going on a trip? Typically, it would be the other way around, with Winda accusing Kagami of the damning act- though in that case, Kagami would typically just laugh and call him a faggot.

Oh, the joys of friendship.

Winda knocked on the door to the Elder's house, entering when the man himself called him to enter. The boy sat down apart from the leader of the village, softly thanking the man when a cup of tea was placed in front of him.

"Ah, Winda-kun. I'm glad to see you here. Is Kagami still sleeping?" The Elder asked, obviously not impressed with the white haired boy, but he smiled warmly at Winda. Winda knew that it wasn't quite responsible for the Village Leader to have favorites, but he was willing to overlook it so long as the favoritism was placed on him.

"No, Honorable Elder. We had a slight disagreement outside, and he still recovering." Winda explained, and the Elder gave a smirk of satisfaction. "You wished to see me before we left?" Winda asked. He had started shaking his leg in anticipation.

If the Elder noticed it, he didn't comment. "Yes...there's something I wish to gift to you. The outside world is a dangerous place, and I feel as though you are the only one who has the capacity to use this...surely Kagami doesn't." He praised Winda, removing a box from behind his chair. Winda took it from the Elder's old hands, and gingerly took out a black cloak that was neatly folded.

Winda unfolded it and stood up, looking at the cloak in all its glory. It was black, but with a strange sheen to it. It might have been a trick of the light, but it appeared as though the cloak was giving off little wisps, seemingly alive.

The Elder gave it an appraising eye. "You're a smart lad, Winda. I'm sure you've heard of the Teigu before?"

It was rhetorical, but Winda couldn't stop himself from answering. "Of course. The 48 legendary weapons created by the First Emperor in the beginning of the Glorious Empire. So this..." Winda gestured with the cloak. "This is a Teigu?"

Nodding, the Elder rose from his chair and took back the cloak; Winda almost reached out a hand, but the Elder began speaking again. "'Ethereal Reaper...Phantomhive. That is the name of this Teigu according to the old records. It grants the user the ability of intangibility..."

"Intangibility?"

"Yes. Would you like to test it?"

Winda's eyes widened, and he quickly bowed to the Elder. "That...that would be a great honor. I do not think I'm worthy of it, however." He kept his head bowed, but raised it when Phantomhive was placed into his hand. The Elder smiled to him, and Winda nodded.

He could not fail.

Winda put the cloak on over his head, shifting slightly as it contorted to fit his size. The sleeves elongated to reach just past his wrists, and the hem brushed lightly against the ground. The collar reached to just below his nose, and he looked upon himself with a critical eye. He felt...different now. Lighter.

The Elder smiled, and placed a hand of fatherly affection on Winda's head. "I knew it would accept you, Winda. Now go. Change this world, just as I know you shall." He rustled Winda's hair, who dropped all reservations and pulled the older man into a hug.

"Thank you. I'll make you proud, Elder. I swear it." Winda said softly, heard only by the Elder. Winda finally released the hug, and walked to the entrance of the house. "I'll return one day, Honorable Elder. Once I make something of myself." He said, before leaving.

The Elder sat back down, still wearing a smile, and began looking over some letters that had been sent to him from all over the country. It was a difficult choice, giving Winda the Teigu, but he was positive it would be the right one.

After all, it was up to the Youth of today to change the Empire.


End file.
